Multitasking

I know, I know. They say that multitasking isn't actually a real thing and if you're doing one thing then you can't really do the other thing very well at all.

Texting and driving.

Listening to voicemail and checking email.

Folding laundry and eating soup.

Case in point:

Tonight I called my dear friend Ryan for a catch up chat.  For a while, I just wandered around the house while I talked to him, but after a bit, I realized that I was sweating and that it was hot and stuffy in our house.  I remembered that I still hadn't taken down a few of our storm windows and I thought it would be a great idea to do that while I talked to Ryan.

As he told me what was going on in his life and I told him about mine, I got the front room storm window out, brought it in to the house, got a chair and the screen window and tried to put it up only to find that I couldn't reach it.  Bear in mind Ryan is still telling me a story at this point and I am listening.  As I carried the ladder up from the basement and out to the front of the house, bonking it into walls and corners and finally getting it outside, Ryan said to me, "What is going on over there?"

"Oh!" I laughed. "I'm taking the storm windows down. Am I making a lot of noise?"
"Yeah!" Ryan said, laughing.

We continued our conversation and I moved on to the dining room windows.  These windows are considerably more difficult.  They are high up on the house (almost to the second to last rung of the ladder I have to climb) and sticky.  I got the first one out and the screen in no problem.  The second one was stuck.  Going back into the house, still talking to Ryan, I climbed upon our built-in china cabinet and tried to tap at the window to get it unstuck.  Nothing.  So I went back outside, climbed the ladder and unhooked the screen window which was already in.  I went back in the house, and pushed it so it was halfway open, leaving me space to push from the inside and pull from the outside the winter storm window that was stuck.

Ryan was telling me a tale about work and I held the phone tightly between my ear and my shoulder as I ever so gently tapped the heavy stuck storm window out of its frame.  Suddenly, it was freed and then it was freed a bit too enthusiastically and I fell sideways on top of the china cabinet, trying to old fast to the falling storm window AND listen to my friend.  Well, that storm window was quite heavy and the sheer force of its fall tipped me forward and I dropped both the phone and the window RIGHT out the widow frame and into the garden below.

"Don't worry Ryan!" I shouted, leaning out into the open window frame. "I dropped you out the window!"
I clambered down from the cabinet and ran downstairs and outside, yelling "I'm coming, Ryan!"
Once down there, I found to my relief that the storm window was fully intact. I was sure it would have broken in the fall and was so glad it didn't.  Now at least I would have the option of NOT explaining what had happened to my husband when he returned.
But I couldn't find my phone.
"Here I am, Ryan!" I yelled, crawling around in the grass,  "I can't find my phone!  I'm coming!" I shouted as I rooted around in the bushes, "I'll find you! Don't go away!"
Finally I found the phone face up on the ground and to my delight, Ryan was still there.
"OH Ryan, you're still there! I dropped you out the window!"
"I'm still here." he said.  He was laughing "What happened?"
When I got up from the grass and looked up, my son was standing there, arms folded looking at me sort of scoldingly.  "Mommy." He said. "What are you doing?"
I looked up to the house and Lucy was in the half-open screen window, peering down at me. "Mommy. You're being very loud."

I ushered my children inside and finished my conversation with Ryan and decided that it might be best to save the activity of the taking down and putting up of storm windows for when you're not engaged in any other activities.

But it's done!